While the Cowboys players talked about not being physical enough in Sunday's 27-7 loss at Seattle, linebacker Sean Lee (50) found out what it's like to be on the wrong end of a hard hit by Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate (81) as Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scrambles in the third quarter.

Photo: Max Faulkner

While the Cowboys players talked about not being physical enough in...

IRVING - One of the headlines splashed on the front page of Monday's Seattle Times sports section declared: "Hawks Show Identity, Potential."

"Fast and physical and smart: That's us," special teams ace Michael Robinson said after the Seahawks punished the Cowboys 27-7 on Sunday.

Robinson's confident assessment of what type of outfit Seattle is stands in sharp contrast to the mind-numbing we-need- to-execute-better blather that came from Dallas in the aftermath of its embarrassing defeat.

It didn't get any better Monday.

In the visitors' locker room at CenturyLink Field, Jason Witten talked about how he and his teammates failed to play "Cowboys Football." Asked a day later to define "Cowboys Football," Witten's vague reply spoke volumes about the team's lack of identity.

"I think it's physical, it's not turning the ball over," he said. "It's a running game and passing and an attack mentality that we have offensively."

Plenty of talk

Coach Jason Garrett didn't do much better, beginning his reply with a long, "uhm" before saying, "It's an identity we work on and talk about a lot. We talk about the importance of team, of playing together, having each other's backs. We talk about the importance of taking care of the ball and getting the ball. And then we just talk about playing with a relentless, competitive-type nature. We want to be physical. We want to finish.

"But identity is an ongoing thing. … At times, we've done a really good job playing to that identity, and other times we haven't."

When the season started Sept. 5 in New Jersey, it looked as if the Cowboys had finally nailed it. In toppling the Giants 24-17, they played aggressive, determined football.

But then came Sunday's sloppy, passive performance that indicated "Cowboys Football" is all about flashing potential but never truly fulfilling it.

Since replacing Wade Phillips at midseason in 2010, Garrett has talked endlessly about the importance of being consistent, yet there was Dallas following up a spirited performance in the opener with an error-filled, weak-kneed outing.

Garrett also has stressed the importance of playing smart, but then Felix Jones fumbled away the opening kickoff.

Finally, Garrett has done everything but beg the players to embrace a more physical approach, but they cratered badly in the second half when Seattle punched them repeatedly in the mouth.

"We are the more physical team. That's who we want to be," Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said.

'We laid an egg'

So who do the Cowboys want to be? The roller-coaster ride in the first two weeks of the season indicates they still don't know.

"Hey, look," Witten said. "I'm not here to convince you all or anybody else what this team is going to be. ... Ultimately, we laid an egg. And you don't start the season off and bounce around.

"But we're not worried about that. We're worried about executing and winning games. That's where the focus is for us. It should be clear to you guys it's not about, 'Were they up (emotionally), or were they not?' We got our (behinds) beat. That's where our focus is, how we bounce back from that. You got to execute. You got to play winning football."

It would be no surprise to see the Cowboys do just that next weekend in the home opener against the Buccaneers. But it also wouldn't surprise to see them get blasted at home the next week by the Bears.